Reel for cartridge-loading motion picture projectors

ABSTRACT

A REEL ADAPTED TO BE CONTAINED IN A CARTRIDGE AND TO BE MOUNTED ON A SPINDLE OF A MOTION PICTURE PROJECTOR COMPRISES A HUB HAVING A BORE TAPERED INWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF THE HUB TOWARDS ITS CENTER, SUCH THAT THE REEL CAN ORIENT ITSELF WITHIN THE CARTRIDGE OBLIQUELY WITH RESPECT TO THE PROJECTOR SPINDLE.

E. S. M KEE Aug. 7, 1973 REEL FOR CARTRIDGE-LOADING MOTION PICTURE PROJECTORS 2 Sheets-Shut. 1

Original Filed May 23 1968 FIG.

EDWARD 3. Mc KEf:

INVENTOR. BY Q Q UL W/LJQM ATTORNEYS E S. M KEE Aug. 7, 1913 REEL FOR CARTRIDGE-LOADING MOTION PICTURE PROJECTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 23, 1968 FIG- 2 FIG-5 FIG- 4 EDWARD S. Mc KEE INVENTOR. BY Q,-I\/ ,/2IQ

WMOM

AT TOR NE YS United States Patent 27,719 REEL FOR CARTRIDGE-LOADING MOTION PICTURE PROJECTORS Edward S. McKee, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. Original No. 3,486,710, dated Dec. 30, 1969, Ser. No. 731,463, May 23, 1968. Application for reissue Feb. 8, 1971, Ser. No. 113,526

Int. Cl. B65h 75/14 U.S. Cl. 242-713 3 Claims Matter enclosed in heavy brackets II] appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reel adapted to be contained in a cartridge and to be mounted on a spindle of a motion picture projector comprises a hub having a bore tapered inwardly from the ends of the hub towards its center, such that the reel can orient itself within the cartridge obliquely with respect to the projector spindle.

Cross-references to related applications Reference is made to the following commonly assigned copending U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. 679,587, entitled Spindle for Supporting Reels or Spools for Rotation, filed Oct. 16, 1967 in the name of Leslie J. Bunting, now U.S. Patent 3,417,939, issued Dec. 24, 1968; Ser. No. 685,616, entitled cinematographic Projectors or the Like and Cartridges for Use Therewith, filed Nov. 24, 1967 in the name of John J. Bundschuh et 211., now U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,683, issued Jan. 5, 1971; Ser. No. 681,295 entitled Automatic Latching Mechanism and Film Guide Arm for a Cartridge-loaded Motion Picture Projector, filed Nov. 7, 1967 in the name of Leslie J. Bunting, now U.S. Patent 3,394,901, issued July 30, 1968; and Ser. No. 731,561, entitled Cartridge, filed May 23, 1968 in the name of John J. Bundschuh, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,462, issued Jan. 12, 1971.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to spindles for motion picture projectors and to reels adapted to be supported by such spindles. More specifically, the invention relates to such reels having a capacity of 200 or more of film and to spindles adapted to support such reels on a projector or the like.

While useful with different types of projectors, the present invention has particular utility on cartridge-loading motion picture projectors adapted to receive and support a cartridge containing a reel of processed motion picture film.

It is well known to provide a projector with a spindle comprising a rotatable sleeve mounted on a fixed shaft secured to a vertical wall of the projector. It is further known to rotatably support a supply reel on such a spindle sleeve and to rotatably drive the reel and spindle sleeve during operative cycles of the projector. Such a spindle and reel are described and illustrated, for example, in commonly assigned U.S. Patent 3,417,939, issued Dec. 24, 1968 in the name of Leslie J. Bunting. In said Bunting application the rotatable sleeve includes means for axially locating the reel with respect to the projector wall, which means comprises a shoulder at one end of the sleeve adjacent the projector and one or more detent members at the other end of the spindle remote from the projector. The reel mounting sleeve is prevented from moving axially with respect to the shaft by a wire clip or other suitable means and, therefore, the shoulder and Re. 27,719 Reissued Aug. 7, 1973 detent on the spindle sleeve to locate the reel with respect to the projector as well as with respect to the sleeve.

While such prior art reels have proven satisfactory for their intended purpose on the unenclosed-reel type of projector, certain modifications have been found necessary to adapt such spindles to the cartridge-loading type of projector wherein the cartridge is latched and located against a wall of the projector independently of the spindle, and the reel, which is mounted on the spindle, must be located with respect to the cartridge as well as the projector. In order to adapt such prior spindles to the special problems of cartridge-loading projectors, it was first attempted to simply eliminate the means which located the reel (e.g., the shoulder and detent means) of previously known reels. With this modification, the reel would be free to move axially with respect to the spindle sleeve and could thereby properly locate itself within the cartridge. Thus, the cartridge would take over the function of the locating means previously on the spindle, and, at the same time, the reel would assume the best running position within the cartridge where the frictional resistance between the reel flanges and cartridge walls would be at a minimum.

The above modifications of previously known spindles would appear to be satisfactory, and, in fact, have proven to be at least adequate on projectors adapted to receive the smaller cartridges, such as those which contain 50 or IOU-foot reels.

However, on projectors adapted to receive larger cartridges, such as those which contain 200 or 400-foot reels, certain detrimental effects which are exaggerated or compounded by the increased size and Weight of the reel, make previously known spindles and reels somewhat unsatisfactory even though modified as discussed above. For example, it has been found unexpectedly that the increase in weight, due to the increase in the size of the reel and the amount of film on the reel, increases the frictional resistance to movement of the reel on the spindle sleeve to the extent that the reel will not properly locate itself within the cartridge. Moreover, for numerous reasons, the spindle and/or the spindle sleeve may be tilted with respect to the projector and cartridge walls to the extent that the reel flanges will frictionally engage or even bind between opposite walls of the cartridge. This last mentioned effect is particularly apparent with weightsensitive spindles of the type described in commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 3,310,251, issued Mar. 21, 1967, wherein the proper operation of the spindle may result in a tilting of the spindle from the horizontal.

Summary of the invention An object of the present invention is to provide means for mounting a reel on a projector adapted to operate satisfactorily with cartridges containing reels having a capacity for 200 or more of film.

In a disclosed embodiment of the invention, a reel supporting portion of a projector spindle is mounted for axial as well as rotary movement with respect to the projector surfaces. In this manner, the reel can move axially with such spindle portion in response to frictional forces between the reel and cartridge to thereby center the reel within the cartridge. In accordance with a further feature, a. supply reel is provided with a hub having a central opening that is tapered from a given diameter at the center to a greater diameter at each of the outer edges, such that the reel can rock within the cartridge and assume a vertical position aligned with the cartridge side-walls even though the spindle extends at an angle to the horizontal and said side-walls.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a cartridge-loading motion picture projector illustrating the manner in which a cartridge may be positioned on the projector.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge and a portion of the projector of FIG. 1 showing a spindle and reel in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the spindle and reel of FIG. 2 showing the reel receiving portion of the spindle at an angle with respect to the cartridge walls and the manner in which the reel corrects for such angle.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the spindle and reel of FIG. 2 showing the manner in which the reel is rotatably supported and driven by said spindle.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the spindle and reel of FIG. 2 showing the reel axially displaced within the cartridge and the manner in which the spindle is adapted to correct for such displacement.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, a cartridge-loading motion picture projector is shown which may be of any suitable type such as the projector described and illustrated in commonly assigned copending US. application Ser. No. 685,616, entitled Cinematographic Projectors or the Like and Cartridges for Use Therewith, filed Nov. 24, 1967, in the name of John I. Bundschuh et al. Briefly, the projector comprises a casing 3 defining a front wall 5 adapted to support a supply cartridge 7 and a film take-up means such as reel 9. Cartridge 7 is adapted to contain a reel 11 of motion picture film and may be oriented and retained on the projector by cooperating surface formations on the cartridge and projector (not shown) and by latching surfaces on the cartridge and latching levers on the projector (not shown). Suitable orienting and retaining means of this general type are disclosed, for example, in commonly assigned copending US. Patent 3,394,901, entitled Automatic Latching Mechanism and Film Guide Arm for a Cartridge-Loading Motion Picture Projector, issued July 30, 1968, in the name of Leslie J. Bunting.

Movably secured to the front of the projector in accordance with the disclosure of the aforementioned U.S. ap plication Ser. No. 685,616 are means 13 and 15 for engaging and removing film F from the cartridge and for directing the film to a threading mechanism of the projector which automatically feeds the film along a path to the take-up reel 9 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. After projection in the usual manner, the film is rewound back into the cartridge by an automatic rewind means such as the mechanism disclosed in commonly assigned Patent No. 3,300,155, entitled Automatic Rewinding Mechanism for Film or the Like, issued Jan. 24, 1967, in the name of R. J. Roman.

The cartridge 7 to be latched to the projector may be of any suitable type, such as the two part casing adapted to contain a reel of 400-foot capacity such as described and illustrated in commonly assigned copending US. patent application Ser. No. 731,561, entitled Cartridge, filed May 23, 1968, in the name of John J. Bundschuh. Generally, the cartridge defines side-walls l7 and 19 having central openings 21 and 23, respectively, through which the projector spindle 25 may extend. Previously mentioned latching and orienting surfaces (not shown) on the cartridge and projector are adapted to retain the cartridge in an accurately located position flush against and parallel to vertical wall 5 of the projector.

Referring now more particularly to features of the present invention and to FIGS. 2-5, a spindle 25 is disclosed comprising a rotatable portion such as elongated cylinder or sleeve 27 and an elongated member in the form of shaft 29. Shaft 29 passes through an opening 31 in the projector front wall 5 and is fixed to a spindle supporting means such as inner wall 33 of the projector. While disclosed in its simplest form, spindle 25 may take any of several other forms without departing from the present invention, such as the form of the weight sensitive spindle disclosed in the aforementioned US. Pat. No. 3,310,251.

At one end of the spindle 25 and preferably behind the projector front wall 5, the sleeve is provided with means for rotatably driving the spindle, taking the form in the disclosed embodiment of a pulley 35 which is non-rotatably keyed to the sleeve by a key 37 on pulley 35 received in a slot 39 on sleeve 27. Pulley 35 and sleeve 27 are rotatably driven by a motor (not shown) of the projector, which is operably connected to the sleeve, such as by belt 30.

At the other end of the spindle remote from the projector the sleeve 27 defines an external surface 41 adapted to support a reel 11 of processed motion picture film F. The reel rotates with the spindle and is rotatably driven thereby through driving member or detent 43 (FIG. 4) which fits within a cooperating recess 45 in the core 47 of the reel.

Sleeve 27 also defines interior surfaces such as annular opening or bore 49 having an internal diameter slightly larger than the external diameter of shaft 29. Thus the sleeve can be received on the shaft in the usual manner for rotation with respect to the shaft and projector. However, in accordance with the present invention, the sleeve is mounted not only for such rotary movement, but also is mounted for axial movement with respect to the shaft and projector. Such axial movement is provided for in the disclosed embodiment by a pin 51 on sleeve 27 which cooperates with a circular recess 52 on shaft 29. Pin 51 can move axially in recess 52 to permit axial movement of the sleeve 27. However, at the same time, the pin prevents excessive axial movement or disengagement of the sleeve from the shaft.

Referring now to the function of such axial movement, as previously mentioned it is desirable to satisfactory operation of a cartridge-loading motion picture projector that the supply reel be centered between the cartridge walls to reduce the frictional contact between the reel and the cartridge. However, it has been found with reels of 200 or larger capacity that, due to the frictional resistance to movement between the reel core and the outer surface of the spindle, the reel will not center itself adequately in the cartridge. This resistance to axial movement is due in part to the weight of the reel and film thereon and in part to the relatively high coefficient of friction between the plastic surfaces of the reel and the spindle which are not lubricated.

In accordance with the present invention, instead of relying entirely on axial movement between the reel core and outer spindle surface, a portion of the spindle itself is adapted to move axially to center the reel in the cartridge. Since the movable portion of the spindle is lubricated, the coefficient of friction between the relatively movable surfaces of the spindle is much lower than the coefficient of friction between the reel core and the outer spindle surface. Moreover, as disclosed, the axially movable portion of the spindle is preferably the same as the rotatable portion thereof, and such portion will always be in motion during operation of the projector. Therefore only the dynamic coefficient of friction need be overcome to shift the spindle sleeve and reel axially, rather than the greater static coefficient of friction which must be overcome with previously known spindles.

The amount of axial movement desirable for satisfactory operation depends on the dimensions and clearances of and between the particular reel and cartridge. Preferably, the reel supporting portion of the spindle should be capable of sufiicient axial shifting for the reel to move freely between the sides of the cartridge. In the embodiment disclosed the permissible axial shifting is at least .05 inch and is preferably .1 of an inch.

Reel 11 adapted to be contained in cartridge 7 comprises a hub 54 having an annular outer surface 53 on which film is adapted to be wound and an inner surface 55. A pair of spaced side flanges 57 and 59 extend radially outwardly from hub 54 to guide successive convolutions of film onto the hub when the reel is first loaded with film or during a rewind cycle of the projector. A web 61 extends radially inwardly from the hub and supports a core 47 coaxially therewith for mounting the reel on the projector spindle 17.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention, core 47 of reel 11 comprises a central opening or bore 65 having an internal diameter at the axial center which is less than the diameter at the ends of the bore. In the embodiment disclosed, the bore defines two opposed frusto-conical openings tapered toward the axial center of the reel to a diameter which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the projector spindle. While the degree of taper may be any suitable amount for the intended purpose to be described more fully hereinafter, a taper within the range of 27 and preferably about 5 has been found satisfactory.

Referring now to the function of this feature of the invention, and particularly to FIG. 3, the reel supporting surfaces of the spindle have been shown at an angle to the horizontal and out of alignment with the perpendicular to the projector wall. Such misalignment can occur for any number of reasons, such as poor manufacturing tolerances or wear between the rotatable and fixed portions of the spindle. Thus, the misalignment may be between the shaft 29 and the projector wall 5 or between the sleeve 27 and the shaft 29. Moreover, in weight sensitive spindles of the previously mentioned type disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,310,251, a certain amount of off-axis bending is expected during normal operation of the spindle.

In projectors which operate only with unenclosed reels, and even in projectors adapted to operate with certain smaller size cartridges, this misalignment of the spindle is not intolerable. However, in projectors adapted to operate with the larger cartridge sizes, such as 200 or 400- foot cartridges, any misalignment of the spindle is exaggerated due to the large diameter of the reel in such cartridges. Since the reel is closely confined within the cartridge, even a small amount of misalignment of the spindle will cause previously known reels to frictionally engage the side-walls of these larger cartridges.

In accordance with the present invention, wherein the reel core is provided with a tapered or arcuate bore, the reel can wobble on the spindle or assume an angular position on the spindle as shown on FIG. 3, to thereby properly align itself within the cartridge in response to frictional and other forces between the cartridge and reel, regardless of the angular orientation or misalignment of the spindle.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove.

I claim:

[1. A reel adapted to be mounted on a spindle of a motion picture projector for rotatably supporting a roll of film on the projector, said reel comprising: means defining a surface for supporting film wound thereon; and a core integral with said film support surface means and adapted to receive a spindle, said core defining an axial bore having a spindle-engaging surface intermediate the ends thereof, said intermediate surface having a diameter less than the diameters of the ends of said bore] 2. A reel as claimed in claim 4 [1], wherein said bore has first and second portions of tapering diameter extending from said intermediate surface to the ends of said bore respectively.

3. A reel as claimed in claim 2 wherein the surfaces of said first and second portions are inclined at angles of at least 2 relative to the axis of said bore.

4. A reel adapted to be mounted on a spindle of a motion picture projector for rotation within a cartridge adapted to enclose the reel, said reel comprising: [means] a hub defining a substantially annular outer surface for supporting film wound thereon; a pair of spaced flanges extending radially outwardly from said outer surface of the hub to define a space for receiving therebetween successive convoluiions of film wound on said hub; and a core integral with said [film support surface means] hub, said core defining an axial bore having a spindle-engaging surface intermediate the ends thereof [for receiving a spindle, said bore having first and second portions of tapering diameter extending from an intermediate surface to the ends of the bore], said intermediate surface having a diameter less than the diameters of the ends of the bore to permit the reel to be tiltably supported within a cartridge on a spindle by engagement of the intermediate surface with the spindle, whereby the reel can tilt relative to the spindle axis to align the reel [itself] within the cartridge in response :0 frictional contact and other forces between the cartridge and reel flanges.

References Cited The following references, cited by the Examiner, are of record in the patented file of this patent or the original patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,238,189 4/1941 Sano 24268.3 1,837,223 12/1931 Kohlmeier -94 R 3,104,842 9/ 1963 Loewe 242-68.3 UX 3,104,848 9/1963 Joffe.

GEORGE F. MAUTZ, Primary Examiner M. S. GERSTEIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 24268. 3 

